K.J. Chapman's Blog, page 58

Review: Naughty or Nice? Anthology by Various Authors

Naughty or Nice? Anthology by Various Authors 3/5

Inspired by roaring campfires and the cold nights of the Pacific Northwest, a group of HarperImpulse authors came together to write their own round robin style romances.

In this special festive Written Fireside, the authors ran a competition to give a reader the chance to start each story in the anthology with their own opening paragraph. Georgia Beyers was the winner and now you can find out how each author followed that paragraph with their incredible storytelling.

So settle down, grab a mince pie and join us for a Christmas by the fire…

I downloaded this book for free from Amazon.

Review:

I was intrigued by the interesting concept of the writing prompt. The authors held a competiton for the prompt, and the winning prompt was used and adapted by every author in this anthology. As a reader, you get taken on many varying tales from that one prompt.

I had to pace myself when reading these stories because a lot of the Charlotte characters started blending in to one. A couple of the authors handled the prompt imaginatively and worked out a narrative to include protagonists with names other than Charlotte or Daniel.

Okay, so there were a lot of cliches for Christmas romance shorts, but that’s what we dive in for. It’s a ‘curl up with a mince pie or box of chocolates read’ that you can pick up and stop as and when you like. There were a few stories that were a little too predictable, and one where Daniel’s name suddenly changed to Ben??? How was that not picked up in the edit? But otherwise, a fun read to get me in the Christmas spirit.

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

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Obsessed By Books Indie Book World Awards 2016 Nominee

Whoop Whoop! I’ve been nominated for the Obsessed by Books Indie Book World Awards 2016 in the ‘Best Urban Fantasy Author’ catergory. I’m more than a little chuffed!

I would appreciate the support of my EVO readers on this one. All you have to do is follow the link to the facebook post and tick my name. Thank you in advance.

Vote for K.J. Chapman here!

Content belongs to K.J.Chapman

Review: The Christmas Bake-Off by Abby Clements

The Christmas Bake-Off by Abby Clements 3.5/5

With Christmas just around the corner, the residents of Skipley village are gearing up for the annual bake off, and tensions are high.

Winning means a lot to everyone involved – talented cake-shop owner Katie dreams of baking stardom, Rachel wants to prove she’s more than a stay-at-home mum, and John hopes his culinary skills will impress the woman he loves.

But when the judges discover that some cakes have been tampered with, the villagers’ loyalties are called into question – whose ambition would stretch to sabotage, and why?

I downloaded this ebook for free from Amazon Kindle.

Review:

What’s more dramatic than a WI bake off? A WI bake-off that has been sabotaged. All is fair in love and baking, right? Wrong! Skipley’s annual bake-off quickly turns into a ‘who dunnit’, and the villagers start doubting each other. Why would someone sabotage a friendly, village bake-off?

This quick read can be read within the hour and is definitely off the back of the Great British Bake Off programme. Following different villagers in their quest to win the bake off and show off their skills to a famous judge, you get a glimpse into each different life, their reason for entering, and how they all fit together in the community.

The culprit of the sabotage is quickly discovered, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t a bit more dramatic, but you cant expect much more at a local WI competition, right? Although, you never know when cake is involved.

There were a lot of characters for such a short story, and I would have liked a little more time to delve into each persons back story, but I knew their motivations and that kept my interest. The romance and the way it is linked to the competition was a sweet aspect.

At the end of the book, there are some recipes which was a fun little find, not that I’m a lover of baking. Perhaps I’ll get my hubby on it and I’ll judge the results.

A fun, Christmas short story with a healthy dose of competition, cakes, and romance.

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

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Review: A Christmas Gift by Stella Wilkinson

A Christmas Gift by Stella Wilkinson  4.5/5

Holly and Caleb had been best friends as children, growing up on the same street, but as teenagers they couldn’t be further apart. When Caleb unexpectedly asked Holly to help him pick out a Christmas gift for his girlfriend, neither of them anticipated where it would lead.

I downloaded this ebook for free from Amazon Kindle.

Review:

Holly is a sixteen year old girl who feels invisible. Her childhood friend has grown up and away from her, and when he joined a popular gang at school, he changed for the worse. A few years have passed, and knowing that Holly is still the same dependable Holly, Caleb asks her for advice in regards to a Christmas gift for his popular girlfriend. The outcome of their shopping trip might just prove how much they have both matured, and where their future may lead.

Just what I wanted to read in a Christmas romance. There are the usual YA romance tropes, but that is a good thing. I wanted a bad boy and an ordinary girl, forced together back together to discover their true feelings. Of course, all this during the festive period makes it all the sweeter. What can I say, I’m a Christmas romance soft touch.

This novella is short and can be read within an hour. A fun read inbetween novels and even better because it is currently free (at the time of this review). A warm the cockles of your heart Christmas romance novella.

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

Thrown To The Blue, by K.J Chapman

Thanks Phil for the release day support!!!

Author Phil Price

Well it’s Friday, so let’s share some exciting book news. My friend and author K.J Chapman has released another fabulous looking book. Hot on the heels of her gritty, dark, yet captivating Evo Nation Series, K.J has changed tack somewhat, spreading her wings with a fantasy based novel. I have been fortunate enough to read her work, and know that this will be another great success. I look forward to turning the pages of Thrown To The Blue…..

Synopsis:

Foretellings have no place for goodness, only greatness. Princess Ezrahli is far from good, but she is a great woman in a conventional Kingdom, followed by whispers and scorn. However, across the waters is un-convention, magic, and fable. Her existence has been foretold in the battle against dark magic, and destiny shall weave itself into her life because darkness cannot be fought with goodness, only greatness.

Smuggling and sorcery leads to…

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Thrown to The Blue Release Day

The day is finally here! Thrown to The Blue is available from Amazon Kindle!!! You can get your copy here. If you would like a copy to review, then please let me know.

Blurb and Cover:

Foretellings have no place for goodness, only greatness. Princess Ezrahli is far from good, but she is a great woman in a conventional Kingdom, followed by whispers and scorn. However, across the waters is un-convention, magic, and fable. Her existence has been foretold in the battle against dark magic, and destiny shall weave itself into her life because darkness cannot be fought with goodness, only greatness.

Smuggling and sorcery leads to adventure, and adventure leads to destiny. Reed is a prince of the streets, but what he lacks in title, he makes up for in skill; a skill that sets him on a path already written in fate. Can he be more than what is expected? Can he enable greatness in another and survive the process?

Vengeance is a motivator, but it can never be your friend. In the end, it will ask for sacrifice, and only the great will pay the fare.

Why not check out what my beta and ARC readers had to say?  Thrown to The Blue on Goodreads.

A huge thank you goes to my beta readers and ARC readers. And to everyone who has shared or publicised this release.

Content belongs to K.J.Chapman

Review: Thrown to the Blue by K. J. Chapman

Sarina over at Cookie Break has an ARC review for you!!! Yes, it is for Thrown to The Blue (released tomorrow!)

Thank you, Sarina!!!

Cookie Break

“Foretellings have no place for goodness, only greatness. Princess Ezrahli is far from good, but she is a great woman in a conventional Kingdom, followed by whispers and scorn. However, across the waters is un-convention, magic, and fable. Her existence has been foretold in the battle against dark magic, and destiny shall weave itself into her life because darkness cannot be fought with goodness, only greatness.

Smuggling and sorcery leads to adventure, and adventure leads to destiny. Reed is a prince of the streets, but what he lacks in title, he makes up for in skill; a skill that sets him on a path already written in fate. Can he be more than what is expected? Can he enable greatness in another and survive the process?

Vengeance is a motivator, but it can never be your friend. In the end, it will ask for sacrifice, and only the great will…

View original post 616 more words

Picture Prompts

Over on my Instagram account, I post fortnightly picture prompts that I have snapped because they inspire me in my writing. I invite you to have a pop at writing a sentence or paragraph to accompany it. You can find me on Instagram by following this link.

If you do not have an Instagram account, but would like to join in, you can post your sentence/ paragraph in the comments, and I will feature them in the next Picture Prompt post right here on my blog with links back to you.

Picture Prompt:

They pollute their lungs, litter their environment, and all for what…an addiction? They don’t realise how easy they make my job. Each cigarette stub they flick to the ground is teeming with their DNA. Once it is discarded in this way, I can legally take them. What I do next is not strictly legal, but my creations need life, and what sort of father would I be if I didn’t give my children what they need?

Content belongs to K.J. Chapman

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Review: Earth’s Knot by Katie Deann

Earth’s Knot by Katie Deann 2.5/5

When Merak, one of the best thieves of the infamous Black Feathers, botches up what should have been a simple job in the underground, maze-like city of Knot, all hell breaks loose.

Suddenly he’s being hunted by a mysterious entity which the Oculists–Knot’s bronze-masked high priests–are desperately searching for. For they need it in time for a rare cosmic event that will reveal a way for them to physically reach their God.

But Merak’s interference might just cost them that chance.

And there’s a secret he knows nothing about… that will change everything…

I downloaded this novella for free from Amazon Kindle.

Review:

This novella should garner more stars; innovative world, interesting concept, good prose, but the length of this book doesn’t allow the world, characters, and concepts to grow. It really needed to be a full length book to do it justice. It’s such a shame as I would have loved to see Deann develop her imaginative world.

This book, although, marketed as a novella, seems more like a prequel/ the first chapters of a much larger story. There wasn’t a definite beginning, middle, or end, and I was left unsatisfied as a reader. If I went in knowing this was not a full story, I think it wouldn’t have been as jarring to read. However, I would not buy only the first part of a story- the set-up is confusing. If the series of novellas was worked into a full novel, I would read it.

The narrative moved along at a good pace, and the characters came across as distinct. Mouse in particular felt well rounded and believable. Again, I wanted more, but novella length stopped Deann from a great deal of character development.

There is such promise with this book, and I know I’m not the only reader to sense it. I hope this series gets reworked in the future.

 

The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

Countdown to Release

Thrown to The Blue is released on Friday!!! I’m not counting down or anything…well, not much.

You can preorder your copy here. OR, if you would like a review copy, please give me a shout.

Check out the beta and ARC ratings and reviews on Goodreads.

Content belongs to K.J. Chapman